NEWS TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM THE BACK
to be heard. Tanzer said: “We will be up there saying, ‘These are economic priorities’.” Airline bosses Carolyn McCall
(easyJet), Michael O’Leary (Ryanair) and Willie Walsh (IAG) said last week they expect the UK to remain in the Common Aviation Agreement (Travel Weekly, June 30). Tanzer said: “I’m encouraged
by that. But everything is likely to go into one negotiation and the EU will say ‘If you want X, we want Y’.” He added: “Third, we will
analyse every aspect of the travel industry affected by this and the issues it raises. For example, where there are regulatory issues we will be asking do we want to keep them, ditch them or review them? That is a large piece of work that will go on for months, if not years. We’ll do it in consultation with members and working with our European colleagues in Brussels.” Fourth, Abta will insist the
government does not lose sight of urgent domestic issues such as the site of a new runway in the southeast. Tanzer said: “We need the government to focus on the domestic agenda. The [runway] issue is urgent and it can’t be delayed again.” Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced the latest delay in deciding whether to expand Heathrow or Gatwick last week – until October – pending selection of a new Tory leader and prime minister. Tanzer said the latest hold-up
“may be totally predictable” in the circumstances, but he argued: “If we’d had a Remain vote it would have been full steam ahead. The vote is not an excuse for delaying. The fundamentals of the analysis by the Airports Commission have not changed. We need additional capacity in the southeast.”
Abta: Push on with PTD despite vote to leave EU
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
Abta insists there should be no delay in Britain implementing Europe’s new Package Travel Directive despite the vote to quit the EU.
The directive specifies the
new Package Travel Regulations should come into force in 2018, when Britain will still be in the EU even under the shortest possible timeframe for leaving. The departments for business (BIS) and transport (DfT) have been readying consultation papers on the changes – BIS on proposals to implement the new package regulations and the DfT on associated reforms to the Atol financial protection scheme. Until the referendum vote, it
Convention will allow trade to take stock after EU vote
The Travel Convention in October will give Abta members a chance to debate the way forward when some of the political fog has cleared. Abta chief executive Mark
Tanzer said: “We’ll have a new prime minister and cabinet. We’ll have a better sense of the process. “There will be a session to take
stock, to look at where we are. Will Article 50 have been triggered [beginning talks on the UK’s departure]? What signals will the government be sending out about how quickly it wants to move? “It will be a session on ‘Where
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travelweekly.co.uk 7 July 2016
CHANGE: There will be a new PM by the time the convention starts
we are’. Then we’ll have a cross-industry discussion on how the trade views the situation: the positives and the negatives, and the steps businesses are taking to adjust.” Tanzer said: “We’ll keep it
focused on the implications for travel rather than speculate on what may happen or re-run
was expected at least one of the consultations would be launched this month and the other in September. There was no suggestion of a
delay to either at the start of this week, but delays can be expected to much government business amid the current uncertainty. Abta chief executive Mark
Tanzer said: “It’s important we push on and continue the work on Atol reform and the new regulations. We can’t get to 2017
“It’s important we continue the work on Atol reform…the regulations are good for the consumer”
and have to do it all in a rush.” He said: “There is a lack of certainty about the UK’s future status as a trading partner [with the EU]. But there are scenarios in which we would still be governed by the directive if we leave.” Abta produced a pre-
referendum report, ‘What Brexit might mean for UK Travel’, in partnership with Deloitte, and Tanzer said: “We came to the conclusion the travel industry had more to lose than to gain by leaving.” But he added: “When we did the
work with Deloitte we considered if there would be a benefit from scrapping regulations. “The conclusion was there
would not because the regulations for the consumer are good. By and large, the regulatory framework works.”
events of the previous months.” This will lead into the previously announced discussion of trends in customer behaviour and their impact on business. Tanzer said: “The convention is
an opportunity to take stock and look at the issues. The referendum is clearly the biggest thing that is going to happen this year – at least I hope it is. The timing is good. It’s a chance for the industry to come together and debate events, including the US presidential election which will be a month away when we meet. The markets could be gyrating. It will be an interesting convention.” The Travel Convention will
take place in Abu Dhabi on October 10-12. Full details at:
thetravelconvention.com.
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